Training continues and is going well. However, posts will not be regular until I get furniture and regular internet access.
Updates:
So far I’ve lost five pounds. I still have a gut but hey, it’s something!
On July 4 I did a 40 minute kicking routine — mostly stuff from TKD. It has been months since I’ve done that and I’m sore. Core is sore and so are the kicking muscles around the hips.
Right now the garage is empty so I plan to continue with the kicking routine once each week. When our stuff finally comes I’m not so sure. The townhouse is smaller that our house in Corndog Land so we may have to store boxes in part of the garage. With luck I can leave enough room for kicking drills and the bag.
My forms are a muddle. I tried doing some and have forgotten parts. My TKD books are packed away so I can’t consult them. Also, if the garage ends up being half full I’m not sure what I can do. I hate to lose them but I may have no place to review them.
TKD kicks work the core more than I had remembered. Given how sore my core is I plan to do these weekly and consider it my core training.
I may have room to mount my mook jong so at least that form will not degrade.
When I was 22 I lifted for strength and for all the wrong reasons. I can remember spending 1.5 hours lifting. Now I spend 30 – 40 minutes tops and train for endurance. That said, my strength is pathetic. In my prime I benched 225 lbs and always had at least two 45 lb plates on the bar. Now I start with the 25 lb plates. Lame, I know. Upside? Even at 45 my stamina is way better than it was at 22.
I ended my kicking routine with 100 walking lunges. We did something similar in Kung fu. I had to break them into sets of 20 and, combined with the high altitude, I was huffing. My quads are also sore!
I keep running into martial arts! It’s not than I’m lucky, rather, it’s just that I am more aware than others. This time it was an advertisement for Judo classes at the YMCA. I’ve also seen advertisements for BJJ and a traditional flavor of Karate. Were I younger and without certain injuries I’d love to give Judo or BJJ a go. The Karate I’ll consider if my Krav Maga plan goes South.
Oh, yeah. Krav Maga. I’m giving myself 5 months or whenever the house sells to get into shape. Eventually I am going to try Krav but not until I can afford the lessons. Once the money pit is off our backs I have to try it.
The area has a good selection of martial arts considering that the town is around 60k. Besides the above there is also Aikido, Tae Kwon Do, boxing, MMA, and even a kickboxing lead at the college!
Gym observation: Core training is all the rage. This was not the case when last I slung iron. My how times change. Two I plan to try:
1. Something the trainer called “three points.” He was working with injured college athletes and had them stand on one leg, single-leg squat, balance, and touch the ground. Pattern: squat and touch left, squat and touch center, squat and touch right, then switch legs. Due to my back and neck I will never do bar squats. However, these “three point” squats look promising for martial arts training–part because of the endurance factor and part for the core balancing.
2. Squat while holding a light plate over your head. Apparently it trains the core and is not as punishing as a bar.
That’s all for now!
-BCP
